“Nope, I just have to run home and pick up stuff that I already have ready to go.”
“Do you have to pick the kids up?” he asks.
“No, my parents are just going to bring them when they come. No sense in me driving to their house when they were just going to the park anyways.”
“Makes perfect sense to me,” he states. “Okay, you get to decorating and I’ll be out in my truck.”
“Before you go, what do you want for dessert tonight?”
“I’m guessing I can’t pick you?” He flashes me a wink. “I’m not picky. Surprise me,” he says before walking out the door. I can feel the effect his words have on my body. My core clenches at the thought of what he alluded to.
I wave a hand in my face, attempting to move some air and cool my now hot face off. I don’t think I’m anywhere ready to get physical with Garrett, but that doesn’t mean my body doesn’t react to him.
I place the decorated cake into a box, attach the order sheet to the front so we know what cake it is, and slide it into the fridge. I quickly clean up my decorating tools and set things out for the morning. I make up a box, filled with a little bit of everything from the case, to set out for dessert tonight.
I walk outside, stopping to lock the door behind me. I head over to Garrett’s truck, rapping my knuckles against the passenger side window.
He rolls the window down and flashes me a full smile. “Hey, gorgeous, you done?”
“I am. Do you want to follow me?” I ask.
“I can do that.”
I’m parked right next to his truck, so I quickly unlock my van and set the box of treats on the passenger seat before rounding the front and sliding into the driver seat. I pull out onto the road, checking my rear-view mirror to ensure he’s following me on the way to my house.
Once in my driveway, I wait at the hood of my van to see if he’s going to get out of the truck and follow me inside. He hesitates, but I wave him on.
“You’ve got a nice place, here,” he says, looking around the outside of my little home. I’m super proud of it. I didn’t know much about all the upkeep of a house, but with my parents’ help, I’ve kept this place looking nice, and even spruced it up over the last year.
“Thanks. It’s perfect for the kids and me. We don’t need much, but it’s home.”
“It sounds perfect, then,” he assures me.
I walk up onto the stoop and unlock the front door. You can definitely tell kids live here based on the kids toys strewn about the stoop and front yard.
“I’ve got a cooler I need to pack with cold stuff, and then a bag of buns and such on the counter,” I tell him as I head for the fridge.
“What can I help with?” he asks.
“I guess you can help load things up,” I tell him and start handing things to him to place in the cooler. We work like a well-synchronized team, passing items to one another as he packs them in. Neil would have never stepped in and helped me like this, and it isn’t something I would have even noticed because that wasn’t the way he was, so it was my normal to always be the one doing things.
“What time are we meeting everyone there?” Garrett asks, looking at his watch.
“Five thirty,” I tell him before glancing at the clock on the microwave. It’s only a quarter to five, so we have time to kill.
“Perfect,” he states before caging me against the kitchen counter. His lips land in the crook of my neck, just where my shoulder meets it. The slight scrape of his five o’clock shadow tickles my skin and makes me squirm.
“Garrett,” I whisper his name.
“Yes,” he says against my skin.
I’m at a loss for words as he maps my neck with his lips. I tilt my head, giving him better access as he drives me crazy. He brings his lips along my jaw and works them over until he’s captured mine. I open for him immediately, not wanting to miss a second of being able to kiss him.
I wrap my arms around his neck, holding on tightly. Garrett slips his hands down my body, slow enough like he’s mapping my curves with his hands. He lowers his hands until he’s cupping my ass and lifting me up and onto the counter. I wrap my legs around his waist and pull him closer. He doesn’t hesitate to step forward as he deepens our kiss. I can feel his hardness as our bodies connect. The zings of electricity shooting all over my body are making it hard to keep things somewhat under control. Garrett brings a hand up, cupping my breast. His thumb passes over my nipple, and even with the layers from my shirt and bra, I can feel it as if we’re skin to skin.
“Hmmmm,” I moan, not able to keep it in.
“Feel good?” he rasps as he breaks our kiss, only to move his lips to the other side of my neck.